#1 of 98 Best-rated film of 1981
1981 Mystery Thriller 1h 47m English
86 Metascore $12M worldwide
Directed by Brian De Palma
Blow Out earned $12M worldwide; the year's biggest hit, Superman II, earned $216.4M.
About Blow Out Best of 1981
Best Movies of 1981, Ranked
1,441 films on the site were released in 1981, and 98 have enough critic or audience ratings to be ranked. Blow Out tops the list, ahead of Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Decline of Western Civilization. The biggest hit was Superman II with $216.4M worldwide.
- films released in 1981
- 1,441
- ranked by rating
- 98
- worldwide, top 10 hits
- $840.8M
- award wins
- 36
#1 of 1981
What Is the Best Movie of 1981?
Blow Out is the best-rated film of 1981, with a rank value of 84/100 from critics and audiences, ahead of Raiders of the Lost Ark (83/100). Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).
#1 of 98 Ranked
Top 25 Movies of 1981, Ranked
Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Decline of Western Civilization follow Blow Out. Drama is the most common genre in the top 25 (12 films). Louis Malle has 2 films on the list. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).
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2. Raiders of the Lost Ark 86 Metascore (Metascore 86 out of 100)1981 · Action, Adventure · 1h 55m
Dir. Steven Spielberg No Echo Score: ranked 83/100 on critics & audiences
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3. The Decline of Western Civilization 93 Metascore (Metascore 93 out of 100)1981 · History, Music · 1h 40m
Dir. Penelope Spheeris No Echo Score: ranked 82/100 on critics & audiences
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4. Atlantic City 85 Metascore (Metascore 85 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))1981 · Drama, Romance · 1h 44m
Dir. Louis Malle No Echo Score: ranked 81/100 on critics & audiences
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5. Superman II 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100)1981 · Action, Adventure · 2h 7m
Dir. Richard Lester No Echo Score: ranked 80/100 on critics & audiences
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6. My Dinner with Andre 83 Metascore (Metascore 83 out of 100 (15 critic reviews))1981 · Biography, Drama · 1h 50m
Dir. Louis Malle No Echo Score: ranked 79/100 on critics & audiences
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7. Body Heat 77 Metascore (Metascore 77 out of 100 (11 critic reviews))1981 · Drama, Thriller · 1h 53m
Dir. Lawrence Kasdan No Echo Score: ranked 78/100 on critics & audiences
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8. Thief 78 Metascore (Metascore 78 out of 100)1981 · Action, Drama · 2h 2m
Dir. Michael Mann No Echo Score: ranked 77/100 on critics & audiences
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9. Reds 76 Metascore (Metascore 76 out of 100)1981 · Biography, Drama · 3h 15m
No Echo Score: ranked 75/100 on critics & audiences
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10. Prince of the City 80 Metascore (Metascore 80 out of 100)1981 · Drama, Crime · 2h 47m
Dir. Sidney Lumet No Echo Score: ranked 74/100 on critics & audiences
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10. Escape from New York 76 Metascore (Metascore 76 out of 100 (12 critic reviews))1981 · Action, Sci-Fi · 1h 39m
Dir. John Carpenter No Echo Score: ranked 74/100 on critics & audiences
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12. Time Bandits 79 Metascore (Metascore 79 out of 100)1981 · Adventure, Sci-Fi · 1h 56m
No Echo Score: ranked 73/100 on critics & audiences
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12. The Great Muppet Caper 70 Metascore (Metascore 70 out of 100)1981 · Adventure, Mystery · 1h 37m
No Echo Score: ranked 73/100 on critics & audiences
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14. This Is Elvis 71 Metascore (Metascore 71 out of 100)1981 · Biography, Music · 1h 41m
Dir. Andrew Solt No Echo Score: ranked 71/100 on critics & audiences
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15. Arthur 69 Metascore (Metascore 69 out of 100 (12 critic reviews))1981 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 37m
Dir. Steve Gordon No Echo Score: ranked 70/100 on critics & audiences
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16. Cutter's Way 70 Metascore (Metascore 70 out of 100 (19 critic reviews))1981 · Drama, Mystery · 1h 49m
Dir. Ivan Passer No Echo Score: ranked 70/100 on critics & audiences
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16. Road Games 71 Metascore (Metascore 71 out of 100)1981 · Mystery, Thriller · 1h 41m
Dir. Richard Franklin No Echo Score: ranked 70/100 on critics & audiences
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18. Gallipoli 65 Metascore (Metascore 65 out of 100 (6 critic reviews))1981 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 50m
Dir. Peter Weir No Echo Score: ranked 69/100 on critics & audiences
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19. Stripes 68 Metascore (Metascore 68 out of 100)1981 · Comedy, War · 1h 46m
Dir. Ivan Reitman No Echo Score: ranked 69/100 on critics & audiences
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20. On Golden Pond 68 Metascore (Metascore 68 out of 100 (14 critic reviews))1981 · Drama · 1h 49m
No Echo Score: ranked 69/100 on critics & audiences
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20. The Fox and the Hound 65 Metascore (Metascore 65 out of 100)1981 · Adventure, Drama · 1h 23m
Dir. Art Stevens No Echo Score: ranked 69/100 on critics & audiences
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20. Knightriders 69 Metascore (Metascore 69 out of 100 (7 critic reviews))1981 · Action, Adventure · 2h 26m
Dir. George A. Romero No Echo Score: ranked 69/100 on critics & audiences
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23. Dead & Buried 71 Metascore (Metascore 71 out of 100 (7 critic reviews))1981 · Mystery, Horror · 1h 34m
Dir. Gary Sherman No Echo Score: ranked 68/100 on critics & audiences
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24. Eye of the Needle 61 Metascore (Metascore 61 out of 100 (11 critic reviews))1981 · Thriller, Romance · 1h 52m
Dir. Richard Marquand No Echo Score: ranked 68/100 on critics & audiences
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25. American Pop 57 Metascore (Metascore 57 out of 100 (8 critic reviews))1981 · Drama, History · 1h 36m
Dir. Ralph Bakshi No Echo Score: ranked 68/100 on critics & audiences
Box office
What Were the Highest-Grossing Movies of 1981?
Superman II earned $216.4M worldwide, ahead of On Golden Pond ($119.3M). The top 10 took $840.8M together; 136 films released in 1981 have a box office record here. Grosses that look like data errors are left out.
- #1 $216.4M worldwide Superman II $108.2M domestic · Action
- #2 $119.3M worldwide On Golden Pond $119.3M domestic · Drama
- #3 $95.5M worldwide Arthur $95.5M domestic · Comedy
- #4 $85.3M worldwide Stripes $85.3M domestic · Comedy
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#5 $72.2M worldwide The Cannonball Run $72.2M domestic · Action - #6 $63.5M worldwide The Fox and the Hound $63.5M domestic · Adventure
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#7 $54.8M worldwide For Your Eyes Only $54.8M domestic · Action -
#8 $50.4M worldwide The Four Seasons $50.4M domestic · Romance - #9 $42.4M worldwide Time Bandits $42.4M domestic · Adventure
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#10 $41.1M worldwide Clash of the Titans $41.1M domestic · Action
Awards
Which 1981 Movies Won the Most Awards?
Raiders of the Lost Ark leads with 10 wins from 24 nominations, then Reds with 6 wins. In all, 32 films released in 1981 have award nominations on the site, with 36 wins between them.
- Raiders of the Lost Ark 10 / 241981 · Action, Adventure · 10 wins from 24 nominations
- Reds 6 / 271981 · Biography, Drama · 6 wins from 27 nominations
- On Golden Pond 4 / 231981 · Drama · 4 wins from 23 nominations
- Superman II 4 / 111981 · Action, Adventure · 4 wins from 11 nominations
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1981 · Drama, Romance · 3 wins from 20 nominations -
1981 · Horror · 3 wins from 4 nominations - Atlantic City 2 / 131981 · Drama, Romance · 2 wins from 13 nominations
- Arthur 2 / 111981 · Comedy, Romance · 2 wins from 11 nominations
By genre
What Is the Best 1981 Movie in Each Genre?
The highest-ranked 1981 film of 12 genres, from Mystery (Blow Out) to Comedy (The Great Muppet Caper). Each film appears once, under its first genre that is still free.
- Blow Out 86 Metascore
- Raiders of the Lost Ark 86 Metascore
- The Decline of Western Civilization 93 Metascore
- Atlantic City 85 Metascore
- Superman II 83 Metascore
- My Dinner with Andre 83 Metascore
- Body Heat 77 Metascore
- Thief 78 Metascore
- Reds 76 Metascore
- Escape from New York 76 Metascore
- Time Bandits 79 Metascore
- The Great Muppet Caper 70 Metascore
Release months
When Were 1981's Movies Released?
October was the busiest month of 1981 with 142 releases; its best-rated film is My Dinner with Andre. January shows 266 because films whose exact release day is unknown are stored on January 1.
- January Best: Scanners266
- February Best: American Pop117
- March Best: Thief115
- April Best: Atlantic City106
- May Best: The Burning101
- June Best: Raiders of the Lost Ark76
- July Best: Blow Out90
- August Best: Body Heat95
- September Best: True Confessions120
- October Best: My Dinner with Andre142
- November Best: Time Bandits91
- December Best: Reds122
- January (Best: Scanners): 266
- February (Best: American Pop): 117
- March (Best: Thief): 115
- April (Best: Atlantic City): 106
- May (Best: The Burning): 101
- June (Best: Raiders of the Lost Ark): 76
- July (Best: Blow Out): 90
- August (Best: Body Heat): 95
- September (Best: True Confessions): 120
- October (Best: My Dinner with Andre): 142
- November (Best: Time Bandits): 91
- December (Best: Reds): 122
Languages
Which Languages Were 1981's Movies In?
41% of 1981's films with a known language are in English (578). French comes next with 99 films, out of 57 languages in all.
English 
French 
Japanese 
Italian 
Spanish 
Russian 
German 
Portuguese 
Chinese 
Cantonese 
Hindi 
Arabic 
Turkish 
Polish Every year
Best Movies by Year
A best-of page for each of 55 years, from 1900 to 2026 (so far). Before 1980 there is one page per decade, for its first year (1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970); from 1980 every year has its own.
2020s
2010s
2000s
1990s
FAQ
Best Movies of 1981: Questions & Answers
Quick answers about 1981's best-rated films, biggest hits and awards, from the lists above.
What is the best movie of 1981?
Blow Out is the best-rated film of 1981 on What's After the Movie, with a rank value of 84/100 from critics and audiences. Raiders of the Lost Ark is second and The Decline of Western Civilization third. Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases).
About Blow Out What was the highest-grossing movie of 1981?
Superman II earned $216.4M worldwide, the most of any 1981 release on the site. On Golden Pond follows with $119.3M.
1981 box office Which 1981 film won the most awards?
Raiders of the Lost Ark has the best award record of the 1981 releases on the site: 10 wins from 24 nominations.
1982 awards season How many movies were released in 1981?
The site lists 1,441 films released in 1981. 98 of them are ranked, and October had the most releases with a known day (142).
How are the best movies of 1981 ranked?
Ranked by a blend of Metascore and IMDb/Letterboxd user ratings (Echo Scores start with 2017 releases). Only feature films count (60 minutes or longer, no concert recordings), and a film needs enough ratings, box office or award attention to be ranked.